Friday, March 09, 2007

International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa testified today before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development to voice the union's opposition to the Bush administration's recent decision to allow unsafe Mexican trucks to operate throughout the United States.

"First it was the Dubai Ports debacle, now it's the cross-border trucking debacle," Hoffa said. "President Bush consistently risks our national security by giving unfettered access to America's transportation infrastructure to foreign companies and their government sponsors."

Hoffa questioned the logic behind the implementation of this pilot program while serious safety and security issues remain unresolved.

"The Bush administration is playing Russian roulette with highway safety and national security," Hoffa said. "The resources do not exist to carry out an aggressive oversight and enforcement program."

The Teamsters Union has led efforts to keep the border closed for the past 12 years. Just two years ago, the Department of Transportation Inspector General found that the Mexican government and Mexican motor carriers did not meet congressionally mandated requirements.

"The Mexican government has had 15 years to address truck safety and they have failed miserably," Hoffa continued. "They have had 15 years to implement a national computer system like the U.S. and they have failed miserably. They have had 15 years to create driver training and safety programs and they have failed miserably. They have had 15 years to create driver protocols like drug testing and physicals and they have failed miserably. I ask that you not permit this program to move forward."

Go to http://www.teamster.org/ to view two independent reports on Mexican trucks, one from 1999 and one from 2006, and other important information on this issue.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Eight clerical workers at Roadway Express in Brooklyn, New York now have a stronger voice and a union contract after voting to join Local 707.

In early February, the workers voted to join the Brooklyn-based local. A majority of the workers had signed authorization cards, leading up to a non-NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) election.

“The workers were seeking improved health, welfare and pension benefits, and more job security,” said Kevin McCaffrey, President of Local 707. “We’ve already negotiated the contract. They used to pay $50 a week for their health and welfare benefits. Now they pay nothing. They also moved from a company-sponsored 401(k) plan, and now they are part of the union’s superior pension fund.”

Local 707 represents nearly 100 drivers at the Brooklyn terminal. Local 707 Secretary-Treasurer/Business Agent Vinny Cangelosi was instrumental in the victory.

The Bush administration is expected to announce today it intends to open the U.S. border to unsafe Mexican trucks in the next six to eight weeks for a one-year experimental pilot program. The border has remained closed, except for transfers within a 20-mile commercial zone, since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because of the Mexican government’s failure to meet the truck safety and driver training requirements of NAFTA.

“As with the Dubai Ports debacle, President Bush is willing to risk our national security by giving unfettered access to America’s transportation infrastructure to foreign companies and their government sponsors,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “They are playing of game of Russian Roulette on America’s highways. Mexico refuses to meet their end of the bargain yet President Bush rewards them with open access to American highways. It is the American driving public who will pay the consequences.”

The Teamsters Union has led efforts to keep the border closed for the past twelve years. Just two years ago, the Department of Transportation Inspector General found that the Mexican government and Mexican motor carriers did not meet congressionally mandated requirements. An Inspector General audit report is due in the next couple of months, raising serious questions as to why President Bush is pushing this experimental program ahead of that report.

“Where is the Inspector’s General report that tells us that Mexico is meeting U.S. standards?” Hoffa asked. “Why is the President willing to move forward when his own Inspector General has stated that Mexico cannot meet its obligations?”

According to DOT sources, the Bush Administration will announce today that it is initiating a one-year experimental program that will allow 100 Mexican carriers to begin travel beyond the currently permitted commercial zones. Apparently no hazardous material shipments will be permitted in order to avoid the required background checks. The DOT is unable to say how many trucks will be participating in the experiment or whether there will be a system in place to differentiate between those trucks traveling to the 20-mile commercial zones and those permitted to travel throughout the U.S.

The plan raises several serious concerns, including:

* The impact on homeland security initiatives. Will the drivers be checked against the terror watch list or will our borders be open to anyone with a Mexican driver’s license? Will the drivers be required to carry a Mexican passport as U.S. citizens are required to present their passports when entering the country from Mexico or Canada?

* The DOT has been disingenuous about this pilot program, indicating only a few weeks ago that it was not pursuing this pilot program. What else are they lying about?

* Enforcement of hours of service in Mexico, false log books and fatigued drivers entering the U.S.

* The application of U.S. standards to Mexican drivers including the requirement that U.S. drivers have a Commercial Drivers License, undergo regular physicals and meet minimum age requirements.

* The integrity of drug and alcohol testing. Though testing will be done in U.S. labs, it is unclear who will oversee the collection of random samples creating a system ripe for abuse.

* Enforcement of U.S. wage and hour laws.

* DOT’s assertion that all trucks will be inspected by U.S. officials in Mexico and at the U.S. border when less than ten percent of all Mexican trucks entering the commercial zone are inspected now.

“The DOT has indicated that ‘this is as narrow experiment’ as they could initiate. Yet it is an experiment that allows 100 companies and an unknown number of Mexican trucks onto our highways and forces the U.S. traveling public to serve as guinea pigs,” Hoffa said. “That is unacceptable. I call on Congress to hold hearings immediately and to put an end to this nonsense.”

Republicans opposing the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act are lying up a storm to swing public opinion against the proposed law. Their primary attack claim is that the bill denies workers a free, fair election by secret ballot. Unfortunately, there is nothing free or fair about the current system of voting on unionization. The law is tilted heavily in favor of company power and against the workers.

I have been involved in an unsuccessful attempt to unionize a business. I saw disturbing examples of intimidation and unfair tactics that the Employee Free Choice Act would have prevented. Continued...........